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A Workshop for Brands
Corporate sustainability reports are drowning in generic phrases and taglines like a healthier earth and people and planet. Then there's the acronym ESG, whose use in sustainability reporting continues to grow despite legitimate criticisms that it is vague, overly broad, and easily misunderstood.
I believe that such language, when overused, sap brands of the clarity, energy, and authority they need to achieve meaningful outcomes. Muddled language is an indicator of hazy thinking, and hazy thinking produces sub-optimal results.
Modernizing your brand's sustainability function requires a willingness to dispense with outdated, uninspiring terminology. Below are four themes I explore with brands and sustainability leaders who wish to join the bleeding-edge.
LANGUAGE
As a sustainability leader, do you avoid overuse of generic, imprecise, and potentially polarizing terms like "ESG"? (This is particularly relevant in the U.S., where "ESG" continues to draw criticism across the ideological spectrum.)
Does your language offer a level of precision beyond terms like "a healthier planet" and "sustainability"? To what extent is your language moving toward next-generation concepts like regeneration and restoration?
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Does your brand convey a point of view on complex problems and its role in exacerbating or alleviating them?
Is your team clear on your business's biggest externality and your brand's role in addressing it?
How do your products address contemporary consumers' concerns about household and bodily toxins, such as microplastics and PFAS chemicals? What is the cost of taking no action on these issues?
AMBITION
Are you expressing a level of ambition appropriate to your business's scale? How can you raise the level of corporate ambition in a way that is energizing?
What lofty goal can you set for replenishing the stock of natural capital upon which your business depends, whether that's land, soil, water, animals, or something else?
INNOVATION
To what extent are you pushing on the boundaries of change within your industry?
If you had an in-house "innovation lab," what concepts would you pilot in order to engage in system transformation as it pertains to packaging, waste, agriculture, or something else?
What next-gen paradigms – like circularity, regeneration, industrial ecology – is your team familiar with? Can they relate these concepts to your business operations?
LEADERSHIP
In areas where you are achieving the gold standard (for example, you're a business that sources 100% certified sustainable palm oil)? Are you getting credit for these efforts -- and if not, why not?
How do you elevate your most important initiatives above the laundry list of programs in your sustainability report?
Does your business take a stance on critical debates about the system or paradigm in which it operates – e.g., the food system, consumerism, or take-make-waste?
What is your level of engagement with civil society and public policy organizations?
Language, problem-solving, ambition, innovation, and leadership: These are critical themes to focus on if you sense that your sustainability function isn't living up to its full potential. Contact sandra [at] thenewgreennormal [dot] com to discuss team workshops or one-on-one coaching.